It all began with a bold announcement in February, with Hendrick Motorsports returning to the Xfinity Series with a 16-race campaign featuring its No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. It blended appearances by all four Cup stars: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and newcomer Corey Day as the primary driver in most outings. Led by rising crew chief Adam Wall, the organization aims to build its momentum. Since resurrecting the #17 part-time effort in 2022, Rick Hendrick’s team accumulated two wins, multiple poles, and consistent top-five and top-10 finishes. Wall’s background as an engineer and former JR Motorsports crew chief gives him unique insight, bridging Cup-level precision and Xfinity strategy, positioning HMS for a breakout season. HMS’s 2025 Xfinity campaign is as much about branding as talent development.

Corey Day’s 2025 story reads like the perfect underdog arc. A 19-year-old dirt phenom, he stormed into pavement racing after pacing the King of the West Sprint Car Series and claiming the Make-A-Wish Trophy Cup title in 2023. After limited Truck outings with Spire Motorsports late in 2024, he inked a multi-year deal with HMS in January, setting the stage for his 10-race Xfinity slate behind the wheel of the #17 car. His debut at Martinsville in March was the first real test of adapting from dirt to pavement under the HMS banner. Each race since including Texas, Nashville, Sonoma, Iowa, and into the playoffs, has been another chapter in his evolution. And now, a new announcement has shaken up the NASCAR community.

According to rumors circulating on social media forums, Corey Day is set to run full-time in the HMS #17 Xfinity car next season. Though not officially announced by Hendrick Motorsports, multiple industry insiders and NASCAR outlets suggest that Day’s 10-race partial schedule this year is a prelude to a full campaign in 2026. It is an unmistakable signal as HMS appears to be grooming him as their future lead driver for the No. 17 team, laying groundwork through successive partial seasons and structured progression. That trajectory changes everything, because the next chapter is already written.

While HMS and Team Rick have remained tight-lipped on long-term placement, Rick Hendrick did affirm his faith in Day in January. “When Kyle Larson and Jeff Gordon say someone is the real deal, it certainly gets your attention,” said Hendrick. “Corey comes from a great racing family and in a short time has shown a level of talent that sets him apart. What he’s already accomplished at this point in his career speaks volumes, and it’s been impressive to see how quickly he’s adapted to pavement.” Crew chief Adam Wall also mentioned, “I’m excited about the chance to go racing with our Cup drivers and work with a young talent like Corey. Anyone who follows dirt knows he’s the real deal.” With internal confidence high, Day’s future seems clear; now it just needs results.

Supporters have already seen glimpses of promise from the young star, including a solid 12th-place finish at Nashville, and less glamorous moments like a spin in Turn 2 during Stage 1 in Nashville that underlines his learning curve. Yet fans also buzz about his Sonoma contact with Austin Hill, where Day ran deep into the mid-pack before going off-track. Taken together, those instances hint at both raw potential and growing pains, and fans are waiting to see those flashes translate into consistent performance. For now, speculation is running wild, fueled by fans’ guesses flooding social media.

Online debate heats up around Corey Day’s future

One fan noted, “HMS fielding their own full-time entry over farming Corey Day to a JRM entry per usual with HMS prospects is definitely interesting. I don’t buy into JRM to dodge rumors…but it is absolutely interesting that HMS didn’t put their prospect in JRM equipment. Considering every HMS prospect outside of Larson spent time at JRM(Elliot, Byron, even Bowman spent time there).” HMS opted to operate its own #17 program in-house for its Xfinity stint rather than farming him to JRM, signaling internal confidence in both their facilities and the prospect himself. This was a strategy previously employed with nearly every HMS star outside Larson. Elliott, Byron, and Bowman all spent developmental years at JRM before transitioning to full-time roles within HMS.

Some fans have pointed out that HMS‘s growth has been unmistakable. One fan wrote, “They’ve been slowly building up the 17 car ever since NASCAR went to spec parts so they didnt have to fire anyone. Ever sense then, the 17 is running 2/3rd of the schedule now, so the leap to full-time seems logical. I could still seem them throwing Rajah in a JRM car, especially if they rumors of Spire shutting down their Truck team vecome true (although he might just go to Spire Xfinity, if that occurs).” Since NASCAR’s shift to spec parts with the Gen-7 era, HMS has been able to gradually expand its #17 Xfinity program, leveraging durability and reusing standardized components to run more races efficiently. From just three appearances in 2022 to six in 2023 and then ten in 2024, the team steadily increased its involvement before committing to a full 16-race campaign in 2025.

But there’s a strong consensus among fans that, as of 2025, the pipeline of ready-to-move-up drivers beyond the established few is exceptionally shallow, as one fan opined, “It’s weird, there are like minimal prospects that seem ready to move up at this point. Corey day is a driver who is ready for trucks maybe. As much of goobers as y’all are about it, I would much rather see Heim in that situation. Frankly, they’re is no competition right now in these series.” Corey Heim, leading the Truck Series with five wins and narrowly being denied the championship due to a DQ, is widely considered Cup-ready already, even while stuck in the truck division. Others like Christian Eckes also earned a full-time Xfinity seat after winning nine Truck races and the 2024 regular-season title. The contrast between these drivers is so stark that some argue that Day may need another full Truck season before stepping up.

But others believe that getting backed up by some of the greatest names in the sport is all that is required for Day, as one fan said, “I’m not very impressed with Corey Day, but if Gordon and Larson are backing him and Hendrick wants to build a team around him, then obviously there is something there.” Larson quipped in saying that Day is “very versatile, can hop in anything, and can figure it out,” after watching him win eight features in Yung Money’s High Limit Sprint Car Series and finish fifth in points during a 50-race stint in 2024. Day himself embraced the comparisons to Larson while explaining that such remarks don’t add pressure; rather, he simply plans to keep doing what earned him the nod in the first place.

Some fans built up a whole trajectory to justify their opinions, writing, “If true, certainly lends credibility to the Spire to shut or downsize the truck operation. Feels like HMS has been building up the 17 program to go full time. JRM is probably full. 1 – Kvapil 7 – Allgaier 8 – Smith 9 – All Star (probably where the HMS and Trackhouse guys go) 88 – Suarez(?). Or maybe the 88 becomes the All Star and the 9 goes away, or vice versa. If Junior wants to run again the 88 likely becomes the All Star.” Taken together with the fact that JRM’s Xfinity roster appears maxed out, these developments strengthen the idea that HMS is quietly pushing to elevate Corey Day into the #17 car on a full-season basis.

If HMS does pull the trigger, it could mark the start of a new developmental era for the organization’s Xfinity presence. All eyes will now be on how the pieces fall into place as the 2026 grid begins to take shape.